April 2004 - OIPRS Has a New Contact Address

We are pleased to announce that we have a new physical address.  You can now contact OIPRS by mail using the following information.

OIPRS

March 2004 - OIPRS Board Members, Advisory, and Charter Sponsors Agree to Move Headquarters back to KC 

In recent Board meetings, it was discussed that OIPRS will continue to operate under its original mission of being the ONLY multidisciplinary occupational injury prevention and rehabilitation organization.  The Board felt that its Alliances and political partnering have significantly impacted the field and that as an organization it continues to have a significant impact in the work injury arena.  However, OIPRS is again faced with change.  The OIPRS Board of Directors, Advisors, and Charter Sponsors have been working to make immediate changes and improvements to the organization.  These changes will include the location of its corporate headquarters, the organizational strategic plan, and the type of activities provided to it membership to demonstrate - membership in OIPRS is valuable.

What OIPRS membership will see over the next couple of months are physical location changes and contact address changes. These changes include the move of the OIPRS headquarters corporate location.  The Board has agreed to move the organizational headquarters back to Kansas City and locally staff the office in an effort to return to its grass roots approach of individualized, personalized, and timely member communications.  This change comes at a good time in the organizational history as the OIPRS management agreement with NCA comes to a close.  As this change in location and contact details occurs, membership will be notified by email and by written notification of the NEW contact details including the mailing address and telephone contact number.  During this time OIPRS will be keeping its current membership informed of its progress via the web page as well.

At the present time, if you need to contact OIPRS for any reason, please feel free to do so by calling Mark Hiedebrecht, President at 913-488-3127or email him at .  Please also feel free to contact any of the OIPRS officers as well to let them know your issues or suggestions during this time of transition so that these may be included in the strategic planning process. 

The Board of Directors want to thank all of the membership for being patient as this transition occurs.  

Previous Projects  March 2003 - OIPRS Board Seeks Alliance with OSHA: Member Volunteer Needed

The OIPRS Board of Directors has agreed to seek an alliance with OSHA as part of OSHA’s Alliances program. Participation in this program would enable OIPRS to collaborate with OSHA for the purpose of promoting safe and healthful working conditions. It would also enable OIPRS to build a stronger relationship with OSHA, network with other organizations committed to workplace safety, and will enable all interested parties to leverage their resources in order to strengthen worker safety and health protections.

The OIPRS Board will be submitting an alliance proposal to OSHA. This proposal requires a commitment to quarterly meetings. Three people will be appointed to this committee including one of the Co-chairs, and two additional members. The OIPRS Board has agreed to cover travel, hotel and per diem expenses (government rates) for our representatives. OIPRS members that are interested in being appointed to this group (provided OSHA agrees to the alliance) should contact the OIPRS office at (866) 494-8277 for additional information.

For more news, see the latest issue of The PaceSetter online in the Members Only section of this web site.  Not a member yet?  Click here to learn more.

Previous Projects  March 2003 - OIPRS Call for Nominations

The position of Secretary on the OIPRS Board of Directors is up for election this spring. This position is elected by the general membership and automatically becomes one of the four officers of the society upon his or her election. The Secretary is responsible for keeping the minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee and members.  The Secretary is also responsible for custody of the seal and records of the Board and is responsible for the dissemination of all information pertinent to the ongoing operation of the Society. The term of office is two years.

Anyone interested in submitting their name or the name of another individual in nomination for these positions should contact the OIPRS office at (866) 494-8277 for guidance on completing the nominating process. Nominations must be completed by April 4, 2003.

For more news, see the latest issue of The PaceSetter online in the Members Only section of this web site.

Previous Projects  OIPRS Submits Detailed Comments on OSHA draft ergonomic Guidelines for Nursing Homes

OIPRS recently completed a detailed, 14 page document, outlining the Society's position and comments on the draft ergonomic Guidelines for Nursing Homes.  An excerpt from the introduction and summary is below.  Members can access the complete document by logging on to the "Members Only" area and clicking on "News and Information" from the menu.

Excerpts from the OIPRS Response:

The Occupational Injury Prevention Rehabilitation Society (OIPRS) is a non-profit organization of healthcare providers with a very multi-disciplinary membership.  Our membership consists of physical and occupational therapists, exercise physiologists, biomechanists, athletic trainers, case managers, vocational counselors, and occupational health nurses and physicians.  We have liaison relationships established with the AAOHN, APTA, AOTA, NATA, and ACSM.

As a multi-disciplinary society of healthcare professionals we support efforts of the government and industry to improve ergonomic conditions in the working environment and the development of ergonomic guidelines.  We believe that the reasons for establishing ergonomics standards are certainly valid and will result in long-term improvements in the overall health of America’s workforce.  After reviewing the draft Guidelines for Nursing Homes and its supporting documentation it is obvious much research and effort was given to its development. 

Summary of OIPRS Response

Introduction

The Occupational Injury Prevention Rehabilitation Society (OIPRS) would like to state our support for the proposed Ergonomic Guidelines for nursing homes.   As occupational health and ergonomic professionals, we understand to urgent need for guidelines such as the one proposed.  We also understand the research and documentation supporting these guidelines.  Although there is supporting documentation for the guidelines, we believe continued research is a necessity if citations are to be enforced and if opponents are to be swayed. 

Comments

The following comments represent the views of our membership and have been formulated with the consideration of occupational health & safety providers, employers, and enforcing bodies.

We believe the Nursing Home Guidelines should promote the following:

1. Accountability of both management and employees in the process of following ergonomic guidelines and reducing musculoskeletal injuries.
2. Early reporting and identification of work related musculoskeletal disorders.
3. Employee and management involvement and accountability in the ergonomics and return-to-work program.
4. Job hazard analysis using proven assessment methods.
5. The use of physical demand assessments in returning employees back to work safely and expediently.
6. The use of functional capacity evaluations in the return to work process.
7. Ease and efficiency of assessment and documentation process.
8. Minimization of employee avenues which result in increased lost time.

Other News Headlines: